One of the largest public health issues that developed during the latter half of the Twentieth Century is the rise of asbestos related diseases. The development of those diseases has primarily been among people who were exposed at the workplace to worn or damaged asbestos products, which give off microscopic fibers that can be inhaled. Those fibers can cause asbestosis and mesothelioma, a lethal form of malignant cancer. Many of the individuals exposed to asbestos material on the job were veterans.
World War II veterans in particular have proven to be susceptible to asbestos related diseases because of the popularity of asbestos in industrial products during that era. Asbestos flooring, roofing, siding, insulation, sealants and joint compound were used in the construction of hundreds of military structures on bases and at training facilities. Navy personnel were particularly susceptible because of the use of asbestos to insulate boilers, pipes, engine rooms, valves, and pumps used in ships. Asbestos was used to insulate the interior walls and hatches of Navy ships because of its fire retardant properties.
And asbestos was used for gaskets, seals, bearing packing, hose material, and wiring insulation on the vehicles that military personnel used in all branches of the government. The GIs that worked as engineers or mechanics were exposed to asbestos materials as a matter of course. All of this exposure didn’t become clear, however, for years after the war was over. The reason for that fact is that asbestos diseases have extraordinarily long latency periods. Malignant mesothelioma generally does not manifest itself for forty to fifty years after the asbestos exposure has occurred. That is the reason why, sixty five years after the end of World War II, our veterans from that war, Korea, and Vietnam are still getting sick from asbestos related diseases.
Asbestosis is a progressive, incurable, high impact disease that in time will make breathing difficult and physical movement a challenge. The asbestos fibers in the lungs cause inner tissue to grow fibrous and stiff, limiting the ability to absorb oxygen. Veterans who smoke or did smoke at some point are at higher risk for this disease than non-smokers. Mesothelioma is a fatal form of cancer that is usually not diagnosed until it has become fairly active, but VA hospitals and cancer centers are making slow progress in developing treatment options for both peritoneal and pleural mesothelioma cases.
Veterans’ exposure to asbestos did not end with World War II, although more veterans from that war than any other have developed asbestos related diseases. Mesothelioma is not one of the problems that is highly publicized as a war-related condition, but it has nevertheless been an affliction that has overtaken thousands of men and women who served in the armed forces.